The Portland Trail Blazers may not be in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, but they will still be affected by the outcome. Although Blazers fans are still rooting for Damian Lillard and want to see him get that first championship he deserves, it's not as black-and-white since Portland's long-term outlook benefits from Milwaukee's shortcomings.
As part of the blockbuster Lillard deal, the Blazers acquired the Bucks' 2029 first-round pick and first-round pick swaps in 2028 and 2030. That draft capital is looking more valuable by the day.
Last season, Milwaukee's new-look roster suffered a disappointing first-round exit to the Indiana Pacers. But considering the Bucks were the No. 3 seed and pushed the series to six games without Giannis -- and with Lillard missing two games -- it's clear they could've achieved more.
Blazers set to benefit from Bucks’ struggles as Giannis’ future comes into question
This year, the Bucks have a shot at redemption as they match up with the Pacers again in the first round. So far, Indiana has gotten the best of them, up 2-0 in the series. But as the saying goes, "The series doesn't start until someone loses on their home court."
The Bucks will hope this mantra holds true as they are the playoff team with arguably the most on the line.
Senior NBA insider Chris Haynes joined the Dan Patrick Show, covering potential fallouts from the NBA playoffs. Patrick asked Haynes, "Will Giannis finish his career in Milwaukee?"
Haynes replied, "I don't think so. These 2025 playoffs with the Milwaukee Bucks are going to be pivotal. If they don't get to the Finals, win the Finals, or even make a deep run, you could probably see some wholesale changes going on in Milwaukee."
"Could you see them trading Giannis?" Patrick followed up.
"I could see them going in a different direction then. Yeah, I could see that possibility if things go sour this postseason, for sure," Haynes added.
Even if the Bucks come back in this series, they likely don't have enough talent to compete with teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics to get out of the East. The Giannis-Lillard pairing is one of the best duos in the league, but their supporting cast leaves much to be desired (you're telling me Kyle Kuzma wasn't the answer!?).
Milwaukee's flawed roster construction makes the Bucks' decision to extend GM Jon Horst to a multi-year deal more questionable -- and the timing, with the team down 0-2, is almost comical.
But the Blazers are well-positioned to capitalize on the Bucks' downfall. And, as Haynes notes, with each misstep and every playoff disappointment, Giannis' departure gets increasingly more likely.